UK
University / Graduate
School Rankings
The first thing
that students should be aware of concerning higher education
in the UK is that unlike most other education systems, the
UK system is subjected to strict quality control exercises
carried out by government appointed independent bodies. This
ensures that there are no poor quality institutions and so
no matter where you study you will receive a first class education.
The quality control exercises cover both the teaching standards
and the quality of the research being done at postgraduate
level. The quality control exercises are carried out at a
departmental level rather than at an institutional level.
Therefore there is no "official" government ranking for universities
in the UK.
The Quality Assessment
Exercise (QAE) takes place every four years and every department
at every university in the country is subjected to it. At
postgraduate level the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE)
checks the level of research being done in every department.
Departments are rated from 1 to 5* with 5* being the highest
rating. This is the most reliable way to choose an institution
to undertake research. In the Teaching Quality Assessment
(TQA?) departments are rated out of a maximum score of 24,
24/24 being the best possible score. The ratings indicate
the quality of teaching, the standard of facilities and the
quality of the courses being taught by the department. This
is the most reliable way for a student to choose a taught
course.
Students should
be aware that there is no official government league table
of universities in the UK. The only official government ratings
are the "Research Ratings" and the "Teaching Assessment Ratings".
The Research Ratings
take place every four years and, as their name suggests, they
look at research undertaken in individual departments. Departments
are ranked on a scale of 1 to 5*, with 5* being the highest
ranking. The Research Rankings are more useful to students
wanting to undertake research in the UK. Undergraduate students
should pay more attention to the Teaching Assessment Ratings.
In addition to
the above government ratings, there are also the unofficial
newspaper rankings published every year by the Times Newspaper,
The Telegraph and The Guardian. These league tables are often
source of controversy with academics arguing about the way
that they are compiled. Students should use the newspaper
rankings as a general guide only.
NB. Students
should not use ratings as the only factor when choosing a
course. As stated above, due to strict quality control there
are no poor institutions. Students would therefore be wise
to make decisions, which also take into account the course
content, and location in order to choose the most appropriate
course and to ensure a suitable living environment. They should
also take into account the government rankings above as well
as how suitable a particular course is to their own needs
and the location of the university. Students should aim to
get into the university that is most suitable for them and
not simply aim for the highest possible university based on
the newspaper rankings.
Useful
websites:
1996 Research
Ratings
http://www.niss.ac.uk/education/hefc/rae96/
Teaching Assessment
Ratings
http://www.hefce.ac.uk/Learning/Quality/
Department for
Education and Employment
http://www.dfee.gov.uk/perform.shtml
The Guardian
http://www.educationunlimited.co.uk/
performance2000/0,7348,397458,00.html
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